The Stars Shine for You
by lostinwriting23
Summary: "It didn't matter that she had just lied to her teacher for the first time. It didn't even matter that there was a new telescope waiting for her to peer through. She could have eaten dirt, told her teacher 100 lies and never even known what a telescope was, but it would still have been the best birthday ever. She was snuggled up with her big sister, just them and some sweets, where


I got sad thinking about tiny Waverly on her own and then I got more sad thinking about no one remembering her birthday before and now there's this. She's 8 but in grade 5 which is one of the only reasons I can fathom that she has all the degrees she does despite being, what... 22? 23? Which would make Wynonna 14.  
So. Here's this. Thoughts and criticism always appreciated. I swear I'm still writing "In Another World" but school started and it's kind of eating my life between it and work, but I'm hoping to post chapter three this week. In the meantime, enjoy this random little one-shot I wrote in less than an hour.  
Have a beautiful week, loves.  
M

A cool breeze whipped around the playground, stirring up dust from around the monkey bars. All the fifth graders milled around the yard, kicking balls back and forth or chasing one another around the play structure. Only one sat, alone, against the chainlink fence, nose buried in the thick, new book Curtis had given her that morning. Waverly's long hair was tucked into two braids (courtesy of Gus. Braids were still a bit of a struggle for her little hands) and she wore a bright blue jacket. A small, birthday cake shaped sticker poked out from under the zipper of her jacket.

It hadn't been the easiest year. Wynonna being sent to a "special hospital" (please, did Gus think Waverly could hear her and Curtis through the vents in her room?), and then a foster home because she was "too violent to be around such an impressionable younger sister," (as if Wynonna would ever, ever hurt her on purpose. Nothing in her short life had been sure except for that one certainty of her sister's love). They only got sparse phone calls, depending on the foster family or when Wynonna had enough change to call her from a pay phone.

Life without Daddy and Willa was still wrong, but… in some ways better. Just that thought made Waverly feel sick to her stomach. That was her family. _People_ (who she wasn't even sure were people) had taken them away from Wynonna and her. But sometimes, it was really nice how Curtis listened, genuinely interested, when she was reading a new book.

She'd woken up on her birthday the year before, not expecting much, to find Gus and Curtis standing by her bed, a huge stack of pancakes in one hand, and several brightly wrapped gifts in the other. This year had been similar, Curtis setting up a _telescope_ up next to her window, and Gus spraying whipped cream on the pancakes.

"You only turn 8 once," Curtis had chuckled when she squealed endless thanks, "Figured it should be memorable," Waverly had been too excited to point out that you only turned each age once.

"You'd better hurry up and eat, girl, school stops for no birthday," Gus grinned down at her and kissed her forehead, "Happy birthday, sweet girl."

"Psst," the hiss pulled Waverly from her slightly guilty remembering. She turned left and right, hoping that no one was hiding in the bushes on either side of her to scare her.

"Hey, Waves," There was a tug on one of her braids and she immediately knew who was talking to her and her heart flew. Quick as a flash, she gasped and flipped over, scrambling to face the fence and getting the knees of her tights dirty and banging one into a rock in the process. But none of that mattered because, there, crouched low on the other side of the fence was her big sister.

Wynonna was long and thin, just as Waverly remembered her, her dark hair cascading over her face a little bit.

"Wynonna!" Waverly shrieked, reaching out to hold onto the fence near her. Wynonna smiled wide, but shushed her a little. She so did not need to get caught here. Never the less, she reached out and touched the fence near Waverly's hand.

"Hey, baby girl," Wynonna smiled down at her, wincing as she shifted to kneel as close to the fence as Waverly was on the other side, "Happy birthday."

Waverly's heart swelled, "You remembered?"

"Duh," Wynonna snorted, "They may have poked my brain around but I can remember this kind of thing."

"What are you doing here? I've missed you so much."

"Oh kid, I've missed you too. I just… ducked out of lunch period today. Took a bus. I'll be back before they notice, probably. This is more important than social studies anyway."

Waverly beamed and wriggled closer to the fence. But as she neared and Wynonna's hair shifted and Waverly saw her a bit more clearly. Her lip looked like it had been split open and there was a deep purple bruise ringing her eye. Her knuckles looked a little swollen and Wynonna shoved them in the pockets of her leather jacket, one of Momma's that was still too big for her and gave Waverly a different kind of funny jolt in her stomach.

"What happened, did someone hurt you?" Waverly felt tears well up in her eyes and she wormed a tiny hand through the fence, trying to touch Wynonna's cheek but her sister caught her hand. Her eyes seemed more fragile than last time Waverly had seen her. It hurt to see her like that. A single tear trickled down her cheek and held on to Wynonna's hand hard.

"It's nothing, Waves. Some chick was talking shit at school and… well I was the one talking shit but I won the fight so. Sucks to be her." There was something in Wynonna's voice that Waverly didn't completely believe but remembering the look in her eyes, Waverly decided to play along.

"Wynonna," Waverly sighed, rolling her eyes and looking up at Wynonna with her mom-est, glare, propping her hands on her hips the way their mother used to do when Wynonna came in late from playing, "You need to be more careful. And don't say shit, Gus won't like it when you come back."

Wynonna's grin faded, "I don't know if they're gonna let me come back, baby girl. I've… I've done some stuff and I don't think they want me around you."

"Well I don't give a shit what they want, _I_ want you around me. It's my birthday, that's my birthday wish, and tell them they're poo heads and I should get what I want."

Wynonna laughed, "Don't say shit, you're only 8,"

"Yeah but now I'm 8. I'm not a baby seven year old anymore."

Wynonna rolled her eyes, "Well, whatever. I just… think they'd rather protect you from scary old Wynonna than let you have what you want."

"Well I'll find a way," and her baby sister looked so proud and determined, glaring and fists in a ball that Wynonna couldn't bear to say she was wrong.

"Well I believe it," Wynonna said, squeezing Waverly's hand before letting go, "But, before that, we need to celebrate your birthday." And from the inside of her coat, Wynonna pulled a small package, clumsily wrapped in news paper comics. With a little bending and prodding she managed to push it through part way, so Waverly could pull it out from the other side.

"You didn't have to get me anything," She whispered, staring down at the gift and almost not wanting to open it. Crudely wrapped as it was, it was from _Wynonna_ and that alone made her want to treasure every part of it.

"Yeah, I did. It's your birthday. It's not much but, I just… wanted to bring ya something." Wynonna wouldn't look at her, scuffing her knuckles in the dirt, "Now, open it.

Carefully and much to Wynonna's annoyance, Waverly carefully pulled back each strip of tape, keeping the tearing to a minimum and smoothing it out in her lap carefully once all the tape was gone.

"Jesus, why can't you rip it open, like all the other little squirts?" Wynonna muttered, so Waverly made a very big show of pointedly not looking up her gift, but fastidiously folding the wrapping up small enough to tuck into her pocket. Then, and only then, did she shift her focus to the items in her lap.

On top lay a pack of stickers, in different flower shapes and colors with a bonus sheet of scratch-and-sniff stickers, according to the big letters on the front. Underneath that, Reeces candy bar and off to the side, a little yellow and brown rodent.

"Pikachu?" Waverly squeaked, holding the electric rat up next to her cheek and beaming at Wynonna. She noticed that two of Waverly's teeth were missing and felt silly for being sad she missed that.

"Yeah, you know, because of the hamster."

Waverly solemnly crossed herself and then kissed the little figurine and setting it back in her lap.

"Like I said, it's not a lot but-"

"No, thank you, I love it all."

Wynonna blushed and ducked her head, hair falling further forward, "Yeah, well. Couldn't have my baby sister not have at least one surprise for her birthday," and Waverly decided not to bring up the telescope she was itching to get back to test out, "You'll just need a good reason to have them if Curtis and Gus ask."

"Stay right there." Waverly leapt to her feet and set off at a run across the playground before Wynonna could say anything, little purple tennis shoes spraying sand as she clomped through the monkey bar area.

Waverly slowed as she neared her teacher, carefully hiding her new treasures in her pocket, clutching her book in front of her and bending forward at the waist a little, huffing and puffing. Both teachers were milling under the oak tree in the yard but fell quiet as she approached.

"Ms. Reynolds, may I please go to the restroom? My tummy feels a little funny," Waverly looked up at the teacher with wide eyes, trying to look pitiful enough to be sent on her own but not so much that they told her to go to the nurse.

"Of course, Waverly," Ms. Reynolds, the youngest of the teachers, murmured, "Would you like someone to go with you?"

"No, thank you," Waverly replied, "I think this is best dealt with alone."

Her teacher nodded and sent her on her way, glad they couldn't see how red with embarrassment her cheeks had been stained.

As soon as she pulled open the heavy door to the school she was running. She stopped in her empty classroom long enough to stow Pikachu, her stickers and the wrapping in a small compartment of her backpack, and then hurried to one of the side doors and slipping out.

Thankfully, the same side of the building she'd come out on was just a little bit up the block from where she and Wynonna had been talking. As nonchalantly as possible, Waverly walked as quickly as she could until the ends of Wynonna's boots came into view, then she sprinted the rest of the way and threw herself at her sister from the side.

Wynonna huffed out a breath but caught them both as they careened forward. She righted them and then patted Waverly's arm awkwardly for a moment, "The hell do you think you're doing? I'm the bad kid who cuts school, not you,"

Waverly rolled her eyes, "It's recess, I don't think it counts," She plopped down next to Wynonna and the scooted back until she could sit with her back against the fence, "Besides, sharing these wouldn't have been as fun if I was over there."

Wynonna looked at the Reeces bar she'd grabbed in a weird panic about 'birthday cake' and back at her little sister's shining eyes. Then, she wiggled her way next to Waverly in the tiny space, taking the package and opening it, gently shaking out the little cardboard sleeves where the cups sat.

"Left or right?" Wynonna asked seriously, holding it out to Waverly, "You must choose your destiny." Waverly giggled and poked her finger at them.

"The right one."

"Ahhhh," Wynonna said in a deep, would be mystical voice, "Yes, the right one. Well chosen, young one."

Waverly laughed again as she peeled the paper back from the candy. Wynonna stuffed the wrapper, cardboard and the paper in her pocket and then raised her Reeces in a toast.

"Happy birthday, baby girl."

And it didn't matter that Wynonna didn't remember that she really didn't like chocolate. It didn't matter that she had just lied to her teacher for the first time. It didn't even matter that there was a new telescope waiting for her to peer through. She could have eaten dirt, told her teacher 100 lies and never even known what a telescope was, but it would still have been the best birthday ever. She was snuggled up with her big sister, just them and some sweets, where, for a little bit, no one could keep them apart. Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes and she shoved part of the candy in her mouth to distract herself. She was an eight year old now. Eight year olds didn't cry over silly things. Wynonna bit around the edges of her cup until there was just the center, peanut butter bookended by chocolate left and then she popped the rest in her mouth.

Waverly sighed happily as she licked the melted chocolate off her fingers and leaned her head against Wynonna's arm. Almost unconsciously, Wynonna turned her head and kissed the top of Waverly's.

"How much longer is recess?" Wynonna hummed against her head, "I don't want you skipping any classes."

Waverly glared up at Wynonna pointedly, but answered the question, "Maybe five minutes."

Wynonna made a show of checking an imaginary watch and then turning back to Waverly, "Well huh, what do you know. I've got just enough time to hang out until you get done and make it back to school with half a period to spare." She curled an arm around her little sister's shoulder and hugged her tight.

And for once, Waverly was happy that Wynonna didn't follow the rules.


End file.
